Going global: building a foundation for global health promotion research to practice

Global health promotion is now becoming an integral part of foreign policy of many countries. Health Promotion Practice has always kept pace with changes in the field of health education and promotion. The Society for Public Health Education Board of Trustees and the Editorial Board of Health Promotion Practice are pleased to announce the launch of a new department, "Global Health Promotion." This introductory commentary for the new Global Health Promotion Department of Health Promotion Practice defines global health and the new challenges for health education and health promotion. The "ecology" of global health promotion is presented as a framework to initiate dialog and discussion. Global health domains and competencies are discussed as future directions. In this commentary, we also present our vision and mission for the department as we strive for linkages between research, practice, policy, and population health promotion through cross-cultural collaboration. A call for general and departmental submissions-in the form of original research papers, case studies, symposium reports, interviews, and other forms of interprofessional communication-is included to bridge research and practice in global health promotion.